Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the fuel costs for ambulance services in each health board area have been in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Chisholm: The ambulance service does not collect this information by health board area, but by operating division within its service. Health board area boundaries are not relevant to the ambulance service as they provide a national service.

  Ambulances also get moved from one division to another to ensure that they are utilised effectively and to even out the mileage over the fleet.

  The figures by operating division are laid out in the following table:

  Fuel Costs by Division 1997-2002

  

 Division
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03


 
 (£000)
 (£000)
 (£000)
 (£000)
 (£000)
 (£000)


 North East
 289
 298
 326
 353
 328
 348


 North West
 273
 267
 301
 305
 305
 313


 East Central
 577
 597
 674
 691
 718
 729


 West Central
 554
 585
 671
 716
 685
 697


 South East
 405
 417
 452
 490
 483
 486


 South West
 637
 655
 758
 787
 749
 754


 Other
 30
 30
 27
 34
 38
 45


 Total
 2,765
 2,849
 3,209
 3,376
 3,306
 3,372



  Source: All figures supplied by SAS 2/10/03.

  The estimated figure for 2003-04 is £3,700,000.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1925 by Mr Tom McCabe on 1 September 2003, whether the Care Commission will be responsible for ensuring that the European Convention on Human Rights is complied with at the Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre in all areas within its responsibility.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1626 on 12 September 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search "> http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  In addition, the national care standards which the Care Commission must take into account in carrying out its duties include dignity, privacy, equality and diversity among their main principles. If they had concerns in these areas they would raise this with the service provider and copy that correspondence to the Home Office for their information.

Cremation

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to institute a consultation exercise on mercury emissions from crematoria and, if so, when.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive, in conjunction with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, consulted on mercury emissions from crematoria between May and August 2003.

  The consultation is at the web-link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/crematoria/index.htm.

  Options for reducing mercury emissions in the light of the responses to the consultation paper are currently being considered.

Economy

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is to support the statement in chapter 4 of its Scottish Economic Report, September 2003, that, in general terms, the implications for Scotland of UK membership of the euro are similar to those for the UK as a whole.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is to support the statement made in chapter 4 of the Scottish Economic Report , September 2003, that "the specific effects (of UK Membership of EMU) might be different due to the structure of the Scottish economy, but such differences are likely to be of degree rather than substance" and what these differences would be.

Mr Jim Wallace: The comments made in the Scottish Economic Report article reflect the Executive view that the UK and Scottish economies have broadly similar structures; that they share common overarching macro economic and fiscal regimes, and that similar economic transmission mechanisms will be at play.

First Minister

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister last met the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South and what devolved issues were discussed.

Mr Jack McConnell: We have not met formally recently but I have received a letter from the member.

Land Register

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2044 by Hugh Henry on 8 September 2003, when the Scottish Law Commission will complete its review of the operation of the land register and whether it has any plans to amend the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Law Commission expects to publish its first discussion paper on the theoretical basis of registration of title in Scotland in January 2004. This will be followed by a second discussion paper on more detailed and more practical issues. Depending on the issues raised on consultation and the availability of drafting resources, the commission hopes to submit its report and bill to Scottish ministers by December 2005.

  We await its proposals, which it is anticipated will substantially replace the 1979 act, although the extent of this is of course a matter for the commission to consider. Further information on the scope of the commission’s work may be obtained from its sixth programme of law reform, available online at www.scotlawcom.gov.uk.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients under 18 are currently being prescribed anti-depressants, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Malcolm Chisholm: Prescription data available centrally are not patient-specific, but relate to the numbers and cost of prescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors.

NHS Funding

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the approximately £4.5 million final tranche of the Arbuthnott settlement will be paid to NHS Highland.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is expected that, along with most other boards, Highland NHS Board will reach its current Arbuthnott target share of resources by 2005-06.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conducted research into the re-use of single-use equipment in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: There has been no research conducted by the Scottish Executive into the re-use of single-use equipment in the NHS. The guidance from the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA, previously the Medical Devices Agency, MDA) in their Device Bulletin DB(2000)04, Single-use medical devices: implications and consequences of re-use , is clear that devices designated by the manufacturer as single use must not be re-used. Subsequent Scottish Executive guidance, issued to the service in February 2001, states that a senior manager within each NHS trust should be designated as having overall responsibility for ensuring that the MHRA guidance is followed.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether equipment levels in the NHS are commensurate with the needs of the service and whether NHS staff can access appropriate equipment when they require it.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is for individual NHS boards to determine annually the level of funding required for new and replacement medical equipment taking into account other local priorities. NHS boards can use both capital and revenue resources to meet equipment costs.

  In addition, the Executive has centrally funded programmes in excess of £40 million since 2000 for investment in medical equipment. Other initiatives such as the Capital Modernisation Fund have provided resources for investment in medical equipment - particularly linear accelerators.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether equipment is adequately maintained in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is for management in NHS boards and trusts to ensure equipment is adequately maintained in the NHS and also to make sure that there is clarity about delegated responsibilities for maintenance.

  Audit Scotland published a report, Equipped to Care in March 2001. This provided NHS boards with recommendations on strategic management, funding and acquisition and maintenance of medical equipment. The Executive surveyed individual NHS acute trusts and island health boards in 2002. The survey found that acute trusts and island health boards had either implemented or were actively working towards implementing the Audit Scotland recommendations. Audit Scotland are currently undertaking a follow-up audit which is due to report towards the end of 2003. The Executive will consider the findings and recommendations in due course.

National Health Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether training in the use of equipment is adequate in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires that employees must be properly trained in the use of any equipment they are required to use.

  Audit Scotland published a report, Equipped to Care in March 2001. This provided NHS boards with recommendations covering the strategic management, funding and acquisition and maintenance of medical equipment. A specific recommendation was made regarding the introduction of formal training policies on the use of medical equipment where these were not already in place. The Executive surveyed individual NHS acute trusts and island health boards in 2002. The survey found that acute trusts and island health boards had either implemented or were working towards implementing the Audit Scotland recommendation. Audit Scotland are currently undertaking a follow-up audit which is due to report towards the end of 2003. The Executive will consider the findings and recommendations in due course.

Nursing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist skin cancer nurses are employed by the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: Currently, this information is not held centrally.

  A pilot data collection exercise on all clinical nurse specialists (including specialist skin cancer nurses) will be conducted over the next seven weeks, with information available in early 2004.

Physical Education

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the provision of physical education (PE) in schools.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has established a PE review group to review the wider perspective of PE in the school curriculum and to consider how schools can be supported to provide a quality PE educational experience. Its report is due by the end of the year. In addition, work is currently under way on developing an Active Schools Implementation Plan in response to the Physical Activity Task Force’s recommendations for pre-school and school-aged children. £24 million has also been made available over the three years to 2005-06 to adapt and develop the existing School Sports Co-ordinator and Active Primary Schools Programmes as part of the Active Schools Programme. Learning and Teaching Scotland have been commissioned by the Scottish Executive to further investigate local authority provision for swimming and to identify barriers to swimming provision and suggest solutions through good practice case studies.

Pollution

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive who records the information held on the pollution inventory.

Allan Wilson: The information included in the pollution inventory is collated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) from returns submitted by operators. SEPA reviews the data submitted to it for accuracy and consistency.

Pollution

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for pollution offences have been initiated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency since the creation of the pollution inventory.

Allan Wilson: Since 1 June 2003, when the pollution inventory was launched in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has submitted 15 reports to the Procurators Fiscal service recommending prosecution under pollution legislation. I understand that none of these reports was in respect of sites included in the pollution inventory.

Rail Network

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent progress has been made with the Larkhall to Milngavie rail link.

Nicol Stephen: In early August, tenders were invited for the construction work for the Larkhall/Milngavie project. Tender proposals have now been returned and are currently being considered by Network Rail. Network Rail will present their evaluation of the tenders to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive, which is the promoter of the project.

Renewable Energy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2695 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2003, what funds it has made available, in total, under its existing programme budget for the promotion of renewable energy.

Lewis Macdonald: £3 million was made available for the promotion of renewable energy in the financial year 2002-03. A further £1 million has been made available in the current financial year to date, and at the autumn budget revision it is proposed to increase this budget by a further £3 million.

Renewable Energy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2659 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2003, how much was made available to projects in Scotland from the UK scheme operated by the Department of Trade and Industry, in total and broken down by individual projects.

Lewis Macdonald: The offshore windfarm in the Solway Firth is the only project in Scotland to have applied for and received grant from the UK offshore wind farm capital grant scheme.

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who the current River Nith commissioners are and what discussions it has had with them on the proposed new cycle bridge over the Nith at Dumfries.

Nicol Stephen: The proposed new bridge is the responsibility of Dumfries and Galloway Council, who are required to consult interested bodies under section 75 (3) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984.

  The Scottish Executive has had no discussions with Nith river commissioners. The Executive understands that an organisation called the Nith Navigation Commissioners was incorporated by the Nith Navigation Order Confirmation Act 1929. However, Dumfries and Galloway Council advise that this organisation ceased to operate in the 1960s.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid out in ex-gratia payments from the Scottish Transport Group pension funds surplus to date.

Nicol Stephen: As at 16 October, a total of £121.6 million has been paid out.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has committed to social inclusion partnerships (SIPs) for the next three years for programmes dealing with alcohol misuse.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows.

  Future SIP fund core allocations have been confirmed to March 2005 and in total will amount to £60 million. It will be a matter for local decision how these resources are used but they will be available to meet a range of local priorities, including tackling alcohol problems.

Suicide

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides have been recorded in the last three years, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

Hugh Henry: The following table presents information on deaths from intentional self-harm and, separately, deaths from injury or poisoning where the intent was undetermined. Both categories are relevant because, other than for young children, it is believed that the majority of the latter are likely to have been suicides.

  Deaths from Intentional Self-Harm and Events of Undetermined Intent,

  by Age and Gender, Scotland, 2000-02

  

 Year
 Gender
 All ages
 Age 
  Group


 
 
 
 0-14
 15-29
 30-44
 45-59
 60-74
 75+


 Intentional self-harm1


 2000
 M
 512
 3
 156
 185
 101
 47
 20


 
 F
 136
 3
 34
 50
 33
 8
 8


 2001
 M
 441
 1
 119
 159
 107
 43
 12


 
 F
 168
 1
 29
 66
 40
 24
 8


 2002
 M
 481
 
 112
 192
 109
 53
 15


 
 F
 155
 1
 36
 49
 39
 25
 5


 Events of undetermined intent2


 2000
 M
 162
 
 46
 43
 33
 29
 11


 
 F
 68
 2
 8
 19
 16
 15
 8


 2001
 M
 205
 1
 48
 73
 44
 27
 12


 
 F
 73
 
 13
 24
 14
 12
 10


 2002
 M
 195
 3
 64
 60
 35
 28
 5


 
 F
 68
 1
 8
 18
 15
 15
 11


 X60 - X84 & Y87.0
Y10 - Y34 & Y87.2



  Source: International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD10)1,2.

Telecommunications

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the effectiveness of its policy to encourage site sharing for base stations by mobile telecommunications operators.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive gathers information on applications for planning permission for telecommunications development on a quarterly basis. This does not, however, record mast or site sharing carried out under permitted development rights as, in such cases, no planning application is required.

  The following tables show the questions the Executive poses on mast and site sharing and the results. The figures are for each quarter from July 2001 to March 2003. The figures shown are a percentage of the applications determined drawn from 31 planning authorities’ returns. The totals do not include the City of Glasgow Council, who declined to provide information on individual applications for telecommunications development.

  Question 1: Does the development result in mast /site sharing?

  

 Period
 Yes
 No


 July–Sept 2001
 36%
 64%


 Oct–Dec 2001
 32%
 68%


 Jan–Mar 2002
 24%
 76%


 April–June 2002
 18%
 82%


 July–Sept 2002
 21%
 79%


 Oct–Dec 2002
 21%
 79%


 Jan–Mar 2003
 25%
 75%



  Question 2: Does the development provide potential for mast/site sharing?

  

 Period
 Yes
 No


 July–Sept 2001
 63%
 37%


 Oct–Dec 2001
 71%
 29%


 Jan–Mar 2002
 55%
 45%


 April–June 2002
 49%
 51%


 July–Sept 2002
 46%
 54%


 Oct–Dec 2002
 48%
 52%


 Jan–Mar 2003
 59%
 41%

Vaccines

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vaccines currently administered contain mercury preservatives and, of these, which vaccines are given to children.

Malcolm Chisholm: The only vaccines used in the UK routine childhood immunisation programme that contain a mercury compound are the diphtheria, tetanus and wholecell pertussis (DTwP) and diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. The mercury is present as ethylmercury in the excipient thiomersal. There is no thiomersal in the following vaccines currently in use in the UK: MMR, Hib, oral polio, meningitis C, BCG, pneumococcal vaccines or the acellular pertussis DTP vaccine (DTaP) used as a booster in the childhood immunisation programme. Thiomersal is also present in some influenza and hepatitis B vaccines.

Wildlife

Mr John Home Robertson (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers exist to control the collection of lugworms for fishing bait from beaches and whether it will use any such powers to regulate the commercial collection of live bait from beaches in East Lothian.

Allan Wilson: The powers available to control this type of activity would depend on the rationale for wishing to control it. The Scottish Executive has no current plans to regulate the commercial collection of live bait from beaches in East Lothian.

  Where the area of activity is a national/local nature reserve or a marine nature reserve, byelaws can be made under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 respectively. Other relevant byelaw-making powers are contained in the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.

  Where there is concern about damage or destruction in a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Nature Conservation Order could be made under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Where the area is a "European site" as defined under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, and Conservation) Regulations 1994, a Special Nature Conservation Order may be made.

  The power to make byelaws covering "European sites" is also contained in the 1994 regulations. Such byelaws would also have the ability to extend to areas surrounding or adjoining the site.